Nova Scotia's inclusive education plan has good bones but lacks clarity, report finds 

A new report released today evaluated the first year of implementation of Nova Scotia's new inclusive education policy and made some recommendations on how to ensure the policy improves the lives of students. 

The province's inclusive education plan was put in place in September 2020, with a goal of making all students feel that they belong and are "accepted, safe, and valued" in their school, so they can learn and succeed.

The policy broadens from a focus on those with disabilities to also include supports for other historically marginalized groups, such as African Nova Scotian and Indigenous students, students living in poverty, and LGBTQ students. 

The review is being conducted over three years by two researchers from the University of Ottawa. Their future findings will be released as they continue to speak to teachers, support staff, parents and students.

Jessica Whitley, one of the authors of the report, said many school leaders and staff are happy with the policy, but there is some confusion about how to implement it.

"I think overall what we're seeing is a lot of momentum and enthusiasm and then a sense of … how can we best actually put these practices in place so that we're supporting the kids that need to be supported," said Whitley, an associate professor of inclusive education. 

Hundreds of new staff positions

Since 2018, the province has budgeted for almost 900 additional staff. The new roles include counsellors, teacher assistants, autism and behaviour supports, school psychologists, African Nova Scotia regional facilitators, and Mi'kmaw education consultants. 

The government created 277 new positions in September, but it's not always clear what those jobs will look like. 

The report found "some job descriptions are confusing or incomplete, they overlap with existing positions, and expectations related to the new hires are not always communicated clearly."

Whitley saw this when she visited schools. 

"There were people saying, 'Well, this is a new term for us, does this actually mean we're doing things differently or is this just a rewording?'" she said. 

"There's this need for real clarity about what does this process mean."

Augy Jones, the executive lead for inclusive education at the Department of Education and Early Childhood Development, said regional centres of education will work with the department to determine how these roles fit within their specific circumstances. 

"Those 900 positions are only the first step," said Jones. "The more important step is how do they get integrated so that teachers see them as positive and as helpful?"

Need for leadership and new policies

Cynthia Carroll, the executive director of Autism Nova Scotia, said that the commitment to inclusive education is great to see, but she agreed that creating positions is just one part of a larger puzzle.

"We need strong leadership and we need new policies and new frameworks and new ways of working together that are innovative."

Carroll also questioned how these positions will be filled across the province. 

"We know that there's huge shortages with some of these professionals in Nova Scotia," she said. "So what is the vacancy now of some of the positions that are needed, especially in rural Nova Scotia?"

Jones said there isn't a timeline for filling all the new positions.

"So those full-time positions are ready and funded," he said. "Actually putting 100 per cent of the people into those positions is going to take some time."

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